Tom Aspinall understands why Jon Jones wants to fight Stipe Miocic.
Jones (27-1, 1 NC) was originally scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Miocic (20-4) at UFC 295 in November 2023 but was forced to withdraw due to a torn pectoral muscle. To keep the heavyweight title fight on the card, Tom Aspinall (14-3) faced and knocked out Sergey Pavlovic in an interim title fight. Jones has since indicated he plans to stick to his guns and only set his sights on the former heavyweight champion, not the rising 31-year-old Miocic.
Aspinall initially called for the champion to be stripped of his title because Jones’ return date was unclear. But the Brit has since changed his tune and is eager to face Jones. “Bones” doesn’t want the fight. Neither does Miocic. When Jones and Miocic meet (their fight is rumored to be in November), some expect it to be a retirement bout for both heavyweights.
After Jones and Miocic declined, Aspinall agreed to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes (18-4) in the co-main event of UFC 304. Jones was up for the interim title defense and positioned it as a “number one contender” fight. Despite being snubbed, Aspinall has stated that he bears no ill will toward Jones or Miocic and even understands their position. In an interview with Title Sports Network on Saturday, Aspinall suggested that he might have done the same thing if he were in Jones’ position.
“Oh man, I’d be very, very surprised if Jon Jones signed a contract to fight me,” the 31-year-old Briton said. “I’d be very surprised. I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m very skeptical. Jon Jones is a smart guy. If I were in his position and thought, ‘Yeah, I could fight this 42-year-old guy at the end of his career and make like five times as much money as I would if I fought me,’ I would definitely do it.”